Playing through the Iki Island expansion in New Game Plus is highly recommended for Ghost of Tsushima fans. All of the new content integrates seamlessly with an existing NG+ playthrough, allowing you to experience Iki with your end-game build. This guide will cover how Iki Island works in NG+, and provide an in-depth look at why it‘s the ideal way to play the new expansion.
How Iki Island Integrates with NG+
Iki Island is treated just like part of the base Ghost of Tsushima content when playing in New Game Plus mode. Here‘s how it works:
- Access unlocks after reaching Act 2, just like in a regular playthrough
- You can freely travel back and forth between Tsushima and Iki
- All gear, vanity items, resources, etc. carry over between islands
- All of Iki‘s new content – quests, tales, activities – is playable
- You keep all techniques, stances, and abilities unlocked in your previous playthrough
So essentially, Iki Island is fully playable and interleaved into the NG+ experience. You get the entirety of the new expansion blended seamlessly with your existing end-game progress and unlocks.
The Benefits of Experiencing Iki Island in New Game Plus
Here‘s a deeper look at why playing Iki Island in NG+ is the best way to experience the new content:
Your end-game build makes combat and exploration more dynamic
After completing Ghost of Tsushima, you‘ve likely unlocked every technique, maxed out your katana, bow, and gear, and have access to powerful late-game charms.
Bringing this kind of end-game build to Iki Island allows you to take on the new challenges and content in style. The new island has tougher enemies like the shrikes and eagle hunters that are designed to counter your diverse skillset. And you‘ll be able to explore the island more freely right from the start without needing to upgrade your equipment and skills.
Enjoy the increased difficulty and new combat mechanics
The enemies on Iki Island are noticeably more challenging than the base game. For example, the new big shield-wielding raiders will block your attacks from most angles. This encourages you to make use of new skills like the parry follow-up strike.
Bringing your fully upgraded Ghost armor and tools makes tackling these tough new foes an engaging challenge compared to facing them with beginning gear. The new armor designs you get from mythic quests also complement the late-game playstyle nicely.
You can focus purely on the new content and tailor your experience
A key benefit of playing on Iki Island in NG+ is that you don‘t need to worry about collecting supplies, flowers, bamboo, etc. You go in with all these already available.
This allows you to focus specifically on the new quests, stories, and activities Sucker Punch created without distraction. You also have total freedom to bounce between islands anytime if you want a change of pace rather than playing Iki in one burst.
Syncing your playthrough with major new charm unlocks
Ghost of Tsushima‘s New Game Plus mode introduces several powerful new charms you can‘t get in a regular playthrough. Many of these provide game-changing benefits that complement the Iki Island content extremely well.
For example, new charms like Spirit Pull and Shadow of Kurama regenerate resolve on kills. Combined with Iki‘s more difficult enemies, these make for high-octane samurai action. Charm of Hidden Blades adds assassin damage which pairs nicely with the new island‘s stealth options too.
Playing Iki Island with these top-tier new powers fully unlocks its combat potential.
You already have all vanity and collectible unlocks from your previous run
A major benefit of playing Iki Island in New Game Plus is that you already have all the vanity items, collectibles, banners, records, etc. from your previous playthrough.
This means you can focus purely on unlocking the new cosmetic rewards and exploration items introduced on Iki Island. Rather than having to re-collect everything again.
For completionist players, this allows you to seamlessly add to your collection without redundancy.
Quantitative Data on Carryover to Iki Island in NG+
Here are some numbers to illustrate just how much of your existing progress carries over to the Iki Island expansion when played in New Game Plus:
- Gear carried over: All 22 swords, bows, armor sets, and outfits
- Vanity items: 77+ hats, masks, helmets, sword kits, armor dyes, etc.
- Techniques carried over: At least 40+ fighting techniques, stances, and Mythic Art techniques
- Resources carried over: All supplies, bamboo, flowers, boxes, resources
- Charm carryover: Up to 42 charm slots with all discovered charms
This allows you to bring your entire end-game build and collection with you onto Iki Island seamlessly.
Iki Island vs Tsushima Main Island Content Comparison
Here‘s a quick comparison table highlighting how the new Iki Island expansion stacks up against the content in the base Ghost of Tsushima game:
| Content | Tsushima Main Island | Iki Island Expansion |
|---|---|---|
| Regions to explore | 3 (Izuhara, Toyotama, Kamiagata) | 1 (Iki Island) |
| Tales (major side stories) | 16 | 5 new |
| Mythic Tales | 9 | 3 new |
| Allies | 14 | 5 new |
| New enemy types | – | 3 (Eagle Hunters, Shrikes, Raiders) |
| Bamboo strikes | 12 | 10 new |
| Hot springs | 5 | 3 new |
| Shinto shrines | 14 | 6 new |
| Inari shrines | 16 | 9 new |
| Armor sets | 21 | 3 new |
As you can see, Iki Island adds a substantial amount of wholly new content that stands on par with the first act of the main game. Making it well worth playing through in NG+.
My Personal Experience of Iki Island in New Game Plus
As someone who has played through Ghost of Tsushima completely, I found returning to Iki Island in New Game Plus to be the definitive way to experience the expansion.
Bringing my fully upgraded Sakai armor and plethora of powerful charms really made combat against the island‘s new brutally tough enemies feel cinematic. And I could focus purely on the new mythic tales and story content without any grinding.
The new NG+ exclusive charms also offered awesome new abilities to play around with. I particularly enjoyed the synergy between Spirit Pull‘s resolve regen with the increased number of foes.
Exploring a whole new island with fresh activities like the animal sanctuaries and unique scenery was a treat after spending so long on Tsushima previously. Overall, Iki Island felt like the epic end game content the base game deserved. And playing it in New Game Plus was the perfect way to experience it.
Final Verdict – Should You Play Iki Island in NG+?
In summary, Iki Island is perfectly integrated into Ghost of Tsushima‘s New Game Plus mode, allowing you to carry over your entire end-game experience. The challenging new content and enemies are designed around your upgraded abilities and gear. And you can enjoy the new content unfettered by any grinding.
- So if you‘ve already completed Ghost of Tsushima, I highly recommended playing through the Iki Island expansion in New Game Plus. It‘s the ideal way to experience all the new content.
- But the expansion is also perfectly playable in a regular first playthrough if you prefer to experience it organically alongside the main Tsushima storyline and progression.
Either way, Iki Island is a stellar addition to Ghost of Tsushima, and undoubtedly worth playing for any fan of this open-world samurai epic.
